clare p
New Bee
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2009
- Messages
- 96
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- East Sussex
- Hive Type
- WBC
- Number of Hives
- 1 new Nuc and a swarm caught on the 10th July
Hi all
Question one
Last Saturday I caught a swarm, for two weeks lots of bees had been buzzing around my neighbours front door so I set up a hive with 2 frames in it and smeared in a smidgen of honey (probably theirs) and left it there, on saturday the swarm moved in, we sealed up the hive and moved it a few miles away to my mums and the following day filled it up with the rest of the frames and a feeder.
I went up today (7 days on) to have a look and they have emptied the feeder (2 litres) and have really gone to work on the frames, they are filling them up with honey, some are capped there is pollen stored and there are loads of bees!!!! I could not see the queen but the frames were thick with bees and on the two original frames it was so thick with bees I could not see whether there was any brood. Tomorrow I am going up to fill the feeder again.
Should I look for the queen or accept that as they are bringing in lots of pollen there should be one present? There are also loads of drones hanging around in their hoodies by the entrance, is this normal?
Question two
The morning that the swarm arrived I collected my new nuc. My last attempt at bee keeping ended this winter with a hive full of dead bees and me unable to talk about it (too upset and cross with myself) so I started again last saturday determined to do better by them!
Was sitting eating my toast this morning by the hive I saw a bee carrying out a dead yellowy WHITE bee !!
Why was the bee white? is it a bad sign?
thank you in advance for your answers to all the questions I will be asking in the near future
Clare
Question one
Last Saturday I caught a swarm, for two weeks lots of bees had been buzzing around my neighbours front door so I set up a hive with 2 frames in it and smeared in a smidgen of honey (probably theirs) and left it there, on saturday the swarm moved in, we sealed up the hive and moved it a few miles away to my mums and the following day filled it up with the rest of the frames and a feeder.
I went up today (7 days on) to have a look and they have emptied the feeder (2 litres) and have really gone to work on the frames, they are filling them up with honey, some are capped there is pollen stored and there are loads of bees!!!! I could not see the queen but the frames were thick with bees and on the two original frames it was so thick with bees I could not see whether there was any brood. Tomorrow I am going up to fill the feeder again.
Should I look for the queen or accept that as they are bringing in lots of pollen there should be one present? There are also loads of drones hanging around in their hoodies by the entrance, is this normal?
Question two
The morning that the swarm arrived I collected my new nuc. My last attempt at bee keeping ended this winter with a hive full of dead bees and me unable to talk about it (too upset and cross with myself) so I started again last saturday determined to do better by them!
Was sitting eating my toast this morning by the hive I saw a bee carrying out a dead yellowy WHITE bee !!
Why was the bee white? is it a bad sign?
thank you in advance for your answers to all the questions I will be asking in the near future
Clare